Cost Analysis of Electricity Transmission from Offshore Wind Farm by HVDC and Hydrogen Pipeline Systems

Recently offshore wind farms are gaining popularity due to the high efficiency and high yearly energy production capacity. High-Voltage DC (HVDC) cables are usually utilized due to their advantages compared to High-Voltage AC (HVAC) lines regarding losses and disturbance isolation. In this paper, another new technology is introduced to transmit the generated power in the form of hydrogen to power Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) on the grid. Both HVDC and Hydrogen Pipeline (HPL) transmission systems need power electronics converters between the offshore and the onshore. Comprehensive economic and sensitivity analyses are performed to compare the two transmission systems. The cost-distance sensitivity analysis illustrates that HPL system is less expensive than HVDC at distances larger than 740 km.